1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a synthetic turf surface and a method of installation. In particular, the invention relates to a synthetic sports and recreation surface with improved ease of installation.
2. State of the Art
Synthetic turf is known and widely used for recreational areas and for sporting pursuits such as tennis, lawn bowls, horse racing, hockey and football. Such synthetic turf surfaces are formed as a flexible backing sheet into which is stitched (tufted) parallel rows of synthetic ribbons which extend upwards of the backing sheet to simulate blades of grass. The ribbon length and thickness, the gauge between the rows, and the tufting rate between adjacent tufts in each row, will depend on the intended use of the surface. A backing layer, such as latex, may be applied to the back of the backing sheet.
A particulate material, such as one or more layers of sand or crumbed rubber, is used as an infill material between the ribbons, to hold the ribbons generally upright and to provide resilience to the sports surface. The infill level typically extends to a short distance below the tips of the ribbons, so that the exposed ribbon tips resemble the appearance and playing characteristics of grass.
The prior art synthetic turf surfaces are manufactured, transported and installed in large rolls, typically sheets about 50 m by 3.7 m, comprising the backing sheet, any backing layer and the tufted ribbons. The particle size, shape and resilience of the infill material is important to the playing characteristics of the resulting surface, and therefore this infill material is typically sourced by tie synthetic turf manufacturer and transported with the rolls.
After preparation of the supporting surface, the synthetic turf rolls are rolled out with the ribbon side up. Joins between adjacent rolls are effected by taping and/or stitching the unrolled sleets together. Once the synthetic turf is positioned and appropriately tensioned, the infill material is distributed over the turf and groomed to the desired level.
This installation method is time-consuming. Where the installation is temporary, eg. for an indoor tennis tournament lasting about a week, installation and removal of the tennis surface may take almost as long as the tournament itself.